Environment Setup

Prerequisites

Before setting up the local environment, ensure you have the following installed on your machine:

• Docker Desktop: Download and Install
• Docker Compose: Usually bundled with Docker Desktop.
• Git: To clone the repository.

Quick Start

Follow these steps to spin up a fully functional WordPress environment for development.

1. Clone the Repository

Start by cloning the repository to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/UditAkhourii/wordpress.git
cd wordpress

2. Launch the Environment

The environment is containerized using Docker. Run the following command to download the necessary images and start the services:

docker-compose up -d

This command initializes:

• WordPress: Accessible via the web browser.
• MySQL: The database backend.
• phpMyAdmin: (Optional) For visual database management.

3. Access the Site

Once the containers are running, you can access the WordPress installation at:

• URL: http://localhost:8080
• Admin Dashboard: http://localhost:8080/wp-admin

Note: Default credentials (if not configured via a .env file) are typically set during the initial WordPress web setup wizard.

Configuration

Environment Variables

You can customize the environment by creating a .env file in the root directory. This allows you to define specific database names, credentials, and ports without modifying the core configuration.

# .env example
WORDPRESS_DB_NAME=wordpress_dev
WORDPRESS_DB_USER=admin
WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD=secret_pass
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=root_pass

Volume Mapping for Development

To develop plugins or themes locally and see changes in real-time, the docker-compose.yml is configured to map local directories to the container.

• Plugin Development: Place your code in the /plugins directory.
• Theme Development: Place your code in the /themes directory.

These folders are synchronized with /var/www/html/wp-content/... inside the container.

Using WP-CLI

The environment includes WP-CLI support for managing your WordPress installation via the command line. To run WP-CLI commands, use the docker compose exec interface:

# Example: List all installed plugins
docker-compose exec wordpress wp plugin list

# Example: Regenerate thumbnails
docker-compose exec wordpress wp media regenerate --yes

Stopping the Environment

To shut down the environment while preserving your database data:

docker-compose stop

To remove the containers entirely (data in volumes will persist unless --volumes is specified):

docker-compose down

Troubleshooting

• Port Conflicts: If port 8080 is already in use, modify the ports mapping in docker-compose.yml to a different host port (e.g., 9000:80).
• Permission Issues: On Linux/macOS, ensure your user has write permissions to the /plugins and /themes directories to allow WordPress to write configuration files if necessary.